O2 arena,
formerly Sazka Arena, is a multifunctional
arena in Prague
, Czech Republic
. It was built in time for the
2004 Men's World Ice
Hockey Championships.
The O
2 arena is the home of
Czech Extraliga team
HC Slavia Praha. It hosted the
Final Four of the
Euroleague in
2006. O
2 Arena has hosted a
number of concerts since its opening including those of
Madonna,
Celine Dion,
Tina Turner,
Beyonce Knowles,
Depeche Mode,
Kiss,
R.E.M.,
Queen,
Luciano Pavarotti,
Phil Collins,
Slade,
Red Hot Chili Peppers,
Guns N' Roses,
Pearl Jam,
Bryan Adams,
Lenny Kravitz,
Christina Aguilera,
Shakira,
Linkin Park,
Gwen Stefani,
Kylie Minogue,
Pink,
Coldplay,
Eros
Ramazzotti,
Tiesto,
Vanessa Mae,
Karel
Gott,
Tom Jones,
Rammstein,
Mötley
Crüe,
Nine Inch Nails and
others.
The O
2 arena is easily accessible by public transport,
there is a
metro line B "Českomoravská"
station, tram stops and bus stops; a train station "Praha Libeň" is
close to the O
2 arena as well.
Recent Events
In October 2008, the
New York
Rangers and
Tampa Bay
Lightning opened the
2008–09 NHL season at the
O
2 Arena with two games.
In November 2008, the French electronia pioneer
Jean Michel Jarre performed his
Oxygène album live at the
arena, as part of the second leg of the Oxygène 30th anniversary
tour.
In
December 2008, the arena played host to the playoff matches of the
2008 Men's
World Floorball Championships, including the 7:6 Finnish upset
over Sweden
.
History
The idea of building a new arena in Prague came on the heels of the
"golden era" of Czech
ice hockey: winning
3 gold medals in a row.
The arena was proposed to be built in time to
host the 2003 World Championship tournament in
ice hockey, but due to unforeseen complications with the investors,
the ice hockey governing body had to switch that tournament to
Finland
. The arena's main backer then became Sazka
a.s., a Czech betting company.
The construction of the arena (which began in September
2002) was not without problems, but it finally finished
in time to host the
2004 tournament.
In March 2008 the building was renamed
O2
Arena.
Technical facts
- Number of floors: 6
- Floor space: 35,000 m²
- Capacity: up to 18,000 spectators (depends on action)
- Club and Luxury seats: 2,460
- Skyboxes: 66
- Party Boxes: 4
- Places in bars,restaurants and cafés: 2,900
- Parking: 280 places
- Population of its catchment area: 1.5 to 1.8 million
people
Gallery
File:Sazka-arena-02.jpg|Interior of the O
2
ArenaFile:Sazka arena.jpg|View from Ocelářská street
Sources
References
- Praha prijde o Sazka Arenu. Stane se z ni O2 Arena
- Domaci - Hokej - Sportplus - Aktualne.cz
External links
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